Seo Tae-gwang
The moment the call connected, Yeon-woo found himself echoing the unexpected words that came through the line.
On the other end, Jeong Su-yeon continued without missing a beat.
"I passed the first round of the announcer exam!"
"What? Really?"
"Yeah! I feel like I could fly right now. I just got the call a minute ago."
"That's amazing—congratulations. We should get the whole group together for this."
He still hadn't managed to bring up the film, but the corners of his mouth lifted all the same.
"The first round was a camera test, and I was so nervous I thought I was going to die. I've spent my whole life acting in front of cameras, and I still shook like a leaf…"
Su-yeon launched into the full war story, bubbling over with excitement. She had only applied for the experience and hadn't even told her friends, so the unexpected first-round pass had her already prepping for the second stage.
She didn't dare dream of making it through all four rounds to the final cut, but at twenty she still had time—if she kept taking the exam, she might land it before graduation. The words tumbled out of her in a bright, breathless rush.
"I'm so happy for you. Really, this is wonderful."
"Thanks, Yeon-woo. Let's meet up with everyone soon."
"Yeah. Talk later."
Yeon-woo hung up, scratched his cheek thoughtfully, and dialed the next target on his list.
"Yeon-woo-yaaa. What's up?"
"Ah—So-hyun noona."
Han So-hyun answered with pure delight. The moment he explained the situation, her interest flared.
"I want to do it so, so badly. But you know I'm completely tone-deaf, right?"
"…Pardon?"
"Total tin ear. What if I play the composer and you do the singing? Wait—no, I can't play any instruments either. Hngh."
"…I see. I'm completely tone-deaf myself, actually."
An obstacle he had never even considered. Because his own singing was so disastrous, everyone else had always sounded decent by comparison—so the problem had never crossed his mind.
"Then what about Ji-eun, the one who did the drama with us this time? Is she free? In her debut, School, she played an idol. I think I heard she was actually a trainee once."
"Oh, really? I never saw her debut work, so I had no idea."
They traded a few more casual updates before hanging up. Yeon-woo scrolled through his contacts and searched for Seo Ji-eun.
In the recent drama they had even gotten married on-screen, yet because she hadn't shared the action sequences with Jin Yu-han or the political intrigue of the Goryeo court, he hadn't grown nearly as close to her as he had with Han So-hyun.
There was the stalker incident, the near-fall from the horse… a lot happened.
His gaze drifted to the wallet Seo Ji-eun had given him, still sitting on the table. He pressed the call button.
"Aaaah—Yeon-woo! Eek—!"
Seo Ji-eun answered in a spectacular clatter of noise.
"You okay?"
Yeon-woo tilted his head at the silence that followed. From somewhere farther off came her mother's voice.
"This girl spilled it again!"
He waited, phone to his ear, until Ji-eun's voice rushed back.
"Sorry, Yeon-woo. I was carrying tteokbokki to the sink and dumped the whole thing."
"Mm. You didn't get hurt?"
"Nope! I'd already finished eating—it was just the leftover broth."
"Good. Noona, the reason I called…"
He was only halfway through explaining the film when Seo Ji-eun answered at full volume.
"I'll do it!"
"Huh? I haven't even finished explaining yet…?"
"I absolutely want to do it! Please cast me! I want to be in a music film!"
The sheer enthusiasm left Yeon-woo scratching his head as he answered.
"Well, I'd welcome you with open arms."
And then Yeon-woo made one more call.
"Ohhh, Yeon-woo."
"Teacher. Everything all right on your end?"
Jeong Cheol-min, his first acting mentor, answered with warm delight.
"Haha, 'all right'? I've been so bored I even had a drink with your dad last night. I figured more academy students would mean more work, but we've hired so many good instructors that I've got nothing left to do."
"Is that so? Then, Teacher—how solid is your English? Could you memorize lines cold?"
"English, all of a sudden?"
Yeon-woo pitched him the role of the agency manager who appears early in the scenario. The image fit Jeong Cheol-min perfectly, and more than that, Yeon-woo simply wanted to share a frame with his teacher.
"Me? In a Park Chan-hong film? Yeon-woo—has this already been discussed? My heart's pounding right out of my chest."
"Yes. The director said he wants to see me act with whoever I choose."
"Yeon-woo… how is a man past forty supposed to keep from crying when you pull something like this? I'll memorize every last English line until it's perfect."
Yeon-woo soothed his mentor through the emotional whirlwind and hung up—only to find a missed call and a waiting message.
Hmm. The sooner the better suits me just fine, too.
If he wanted to wrap the commercial schedule and start shooting Sketch before the Netflix audition dates dropped, every day counted.
The reply came almost instantly, as if the man had been waiting with his phone in hand.
The next day, Kim Min-su arrived to collect him.
"Shall we, Actor?"
"Mm. No need to dress up, right? It's not an official schedule."
"You look handsome even without trying."
Yeon-woo climbed into Min-su's car and they headed for the address. Before long the streets turned into an exclusive residential district.
"I half-expected Pyeongchang-dong, but it looks like we've been invited to the chairman's private residence rather than a restaurant. Think he's trying to introduce a granddaughter?"
"Hmm. Possible."
Yeon-woo stroked his chin. The idea wasn't far-fetched. Given the chairman's age, the interest might not be his own—more likely someone in the family was a fan.
"Is our actor about to become a chaebol son-in-law?"
Min-su grinned as he joked. Yeon-woo huffed a quiet laugh.
"I have zero interest in that sort of thing."
"Fair enough. Considering the money you'll be making from here on…"
It was the winter he would turn twenty-one. Even at twenty, the income Yeon-woo had already earned—and the fees still climbing—meant he had no reason to meet anyone for money, even a conglomerate chairman's household.
"This should be it. Look at the size of the place."
At Min-su's words Yeon-woo looked out the window. The high stone walls and antique gate made Son Jin-uk's luxury villa look almost modest by comparison.
The walls rose so high that nothing of the interior was visible from outside. Yeon-woo stepped out of the car.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the black gate swung open as if they had been expected. A bodyguard approached.
"Welcome. Thank you for making the journey. Please, allow me to show you in."
"Ah—yes. Hello."
Yeon-woo returned the greeting and followed the man inside with his manager.
They climbed a gracefully curved stone staircase and emerged into a meticulously tended garden that could have sat before a European château.
"This is the garden the chairman is particularly fond of. He asked that I be sure to introduce it to you on the way in."
"I see. The landscaping is beautiful."
"The chairman finds walking a little difficult these days, so he asked me to convey his apologies for not greeting you personally."
"Not at all. Please don't mention it."
Beyond the garden they passed through a thick wooden middle gate set into a marble wall, and only then did the main entrance appear.
It really is decorated like a European noble family's country estate. So houses like this exist even in Seoul.
Behind him, Manager Min-su kept glancing around at the otherworldly surroundings, thoroughly distracted.
Once the bodyguard opened the front door and they stepped inside, the interior presented a completely different face—deeply Korean, like a high-end hanok hotel.
In the living room that served as a reception area, Min-su stopped.
"I'll wait here."
"In that case, we'll bring a meal out for you."
Min-su smiled, nodded, and settled onto the sofa.
The man gave a quiet instruction to a resident staff member, then guided Yeon-woo onward. At first the broad shoulders and black suit had made him look like pure security; now it was clear he also functioned as a butler.
"Mr. Ryu Yeon-woo, this way, please."
They crossed the spacious living room and followed an indoor corridor lined with carefully tended plants until they reached a wide hall. At the central table sat Chairman Seo Tae-gwang and a young woman who appeared to be his granddaughter.
Seeing them together, Yeon-woo briefly wondered whether Min-su's joke had been on the mark—until the chairman spoke.
"Haha, you've arrived. Truly glad to see you."
"Hello, Chairman. I'm the actor Ryu Yeon-woo."
Yeon-woo bowed. The chairman smiled warmly.
"Yes, yes. Sit right there. Seon-hye, you may go now."
"Yes, Grandfather."
As Yeon-woo took his seat, the young woman—contrary to his earlier speculation—offered a light bow of greeting and quietly left the room.
"My granddaughter. She's of marriageable age; the wedding is set for two months from now."
"Ah—congratulations in advance. That's wonderful news."
"Haha. Thank you."
Still chuckling, the chairman gestured for the food to be brought out, then regarded Yeon-woo steadily.
If the granddaughter isn't the reason, then why did he specifically ask to meet?
The chairman finally spoke.
"An old man suddenly asking to see you must have left you puzzled."
"Yes, to be honest, it was unexpected, Chairman."
Yeon-woo nodded without pretense. The chairman laughed again, heartily.
"I like that about young people these days—no circling around, no false modesty, just straight talk. Drop the stiff 'Chairman.' Call me Grandfather. You're not one of my employees, after all, so I'm not your chairman either."
"Then I'll call you Elder."
"Hahaha, that will do."
He took a sip of the tea a staff member had set down, then looked at Yeon-woo again.
"The reason I asked to see you is nothing complicated. Would you turn around and look at the portrait behind you?"
Yeon-woo followed the chairman's pointing finger. A painting of a man in purple robes hung on the wall.
Hmm? I've seen this before.
It was unmistakably familiar. He studied the portrait for several quiet seconds, turning the memory over, then suddenly clapped his hands.
"It's the portrait of Master Seo Hui that hangs in the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security."
"Oh-ho? I didn't expect you to recognize it. The one displayed there is actually a replica—this is the original. Young actor, do you by any chance know my name?"
Everything clicked into place at once.
"Elder Seo Tae-gwang… you are a descendant of Master Seo Hui."
"I am. I serve as head of the Icheon Seo clan association."
The chairman nodded, smiling as he continued.
"Our ancestor saved this nation when it stood on the brink of ruin, yet not once has his story been made into a drama or a film. I've always found that deeply regrettable. But to use my own influence to force one into existence would be nothing more than painting gold on my own face—a ridiculous vanity."
"I came to understand Master Seo Hui's achievements far more deeply while filming the drama this time."
The chairman's smile softened. Seeing the staff arrive with the meal, he gestured for Yeon-woo to begin.
"And so, as a descendant, I simply wanted to offer a proper meal to the man who portrayed our ancestor. Please, eat."